Alleviating some pressing concerns
by Rohanun
Summary: Head of the AI Militia, Tiran Kandros, has been feeling the pressure for a while now. He has done everything he can to keep the Nexus safe from threats both within and outside but it just never seems to be enough. Fortunately, a certain human Pathfinder showed up and started to alleviate some of his concerns in ways he'd never anticipated. Tiran Kandros/Scott Ryder
1. Chapter 1

**_Alleviating some pressing concerns_**

Head of the Andromeda Initiative's Militia, Tiran Kandros, has been feeling the pressure for a while now. For over eighteen months he has done everything he can to keep the Nexus safe from threats both within and outside, but it just never seems to be enough. Fortunately, a certain human Pathfinder showed up and started to alleviate some of his concerns in ways he'd never anticipated.

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The reality of life is getting under someone's skin**

 _23 July 2819, 21:34 HST  
_ _Operations Control, Nexus, Zheng He_

"Spirits, it has been a long day."

That was all Kandros was still able to say or think while making his way out of Director Tann's office.  
Looking at the current time on the station, the display of which seemed to be firmly ingrained onto the large screen at the end of the main hall, he could swear it was personally mocking him with letting each passing second waste away, while he was still stuck in Operations HQ.

Starting to walk towards his office, he could feel the strain on his lower jaw and mandibles from the continued shouting and cursing during his meeting with Director Tann. Pressing his hand against his left mandible in an attempt to smother the uncomfortable feeling, he could not help but let out a small groan at his current exhaustion.

"It wasn't supposed to be this way."

At least that's what he's been telling himself for a while now.  
The day had started out promising enough; he woke up, had a quick 'breakfast' (slimy nutrient paste) and took the tram towards the heart of the Nexus.  
However everything went downhill as soon as he took his first steps into his office. Because _of course_ it did.

Immediately he had to deal with renewed civil unrest near one of the Hydroponic bays yet again, concurrently deal with the resulting fallout of removing said protesters afterwards, only to end up in a meeting with the rest of the Nexus's leadership that went on for the entire afternoon _and_ then finally to have Director – toady – Tann insist on having, what the Director called, a 'performance review' of Kandros his temporary leadership as head of Nexus Security as well as leadership of the Militia.

After all of that, Kandros was finally free for the rest of the day. Not that it mattered much; his work schedule, the state of the Nexus as well as the reality of living in the Heleus Cluster meant he'd have to be back on duty at 05:00 in the morning.

As he thought about it all, he started to lose his normally carefully guarded composure against the overwhelming return of his own anger and frustration; he quickly moved his arms downward, pressing both his hands into fists so strongly he'd swear his talons started to pierce his own metallic like skin. Silently muttering to himself with clenched mandibles so tight it wouldn't surprise him that they would attach themselves completely on his own face.

"Don't lose control again Tiran, you just did that already."

Normally, he wouldn't be the one to be so disturbed by it all. Really, he wouldn't. Turians are renowned for their sense of duty, strong composure and militaristic culture after all and Kandros wasn't the one to completely break with those esteemed values altogether. And he remained firmly convinced that under any other circumstances most problems would not have fazed him. Hell, he led men and women into battle many times over, sometimes with consequences that, yes, for many would be very difficult to live with. Lately however, things somehow had started to change, and he hadn't exactly pinpointed why he felt like he'd been running on empty for a while now.

Summarizing his own current condition as he walked down to the lower floor in the direction of the APEX's offices, he concluded that today's events just had to have been a extraordinary whirlwind of problems that needed his attention, the only difference from the usual routine being however was that said problems started to crop back up just when you actually thought you had dealt with them. He figured that's why he had to have reached, and greatly surpassed, his breaking point.

And given how Director Tann practically hid behind his desk with those two big black Salarian eyes of his, getting so large he'd thought they would pop right out of the Director's head while he told him what he thought of the Director's 'performance review' and of the quality of the Initiative's Director's leadership in general. In short, it really cannot have looked pretty.

Finally reaching his office, and having had several more minutes to cool down, he quickly scanned through his office, taking a last look around to see if he still needed anything to take with him to his apartment in the Habitat Sector. As he looked, he started to talk to himself again about his current predicament.

"And to think that early in the morning I still considered everything to get better ever since the Hyperion arrived."

The annoyingly conscious ridden part of his brain however reminded him that wasn't really the truth though.

"No, when _that_ human Pathfinder arrived. I really should have known that somebody who is so pretty too look at would also have been so difficult to deal with."

Despite feeling reasonably assured no one would overhear him in his own office muttering things about the Pathfinder, his last comment still managed to surprise himself about what he just blurted out.

The absolute last thing he wanted was others to know about his recent crush, which frankly, was outright ridiculous. Even if he tried, it couldn't possibly work.  
First of all, he was the leader of the Militia and Nexus Security. That certainly did not leave any room for a lengthy relationship.  
Secondly he had the Kandros family's reputation to uphold after all. And while Tiran couldn't care less about his families proper past back on Palaven and their collective choices in military careers, that did mean he'd have to settle down with some nice Turian lady, _eventually_.  
To make matters worse, the Initiative protocols and directives as well as the medical staff both of turian and non-turian origin aboard the Nexus seemed pretty concerned with the whole issue of procreation.

"Oh great, as If I needed to remind myself of that" Kandros said with an almost theatrical sounding sigh.

Feeling slightly annoyed as his mind immediately started drifting back towards that embarrassing incident in the Nexus Medical Center. Several days ago, after getting the call from one of his deputies on an occurring incident of civil unrest and harassment caused by a medical practitioner, he went to investigate the incident personally.  
The perpetrator turned out to be a recently awoken fertility expert that was harassing both women and men about the importance of having children right up to the point of demanding...samples...to start the 're population process' and 'boost their batter'. Needless to say, after getting a taste from her ongoing rambling himself he concurred with the remaining medical staff's conclusion that the fertility expert's passion for her work would be better suited on Eos than in a holding cell. Prodromos was eager to transform from an outpost into a proper town after all and the Nexus was still a space station with severely limited resources.

"Huh, maybe if I stayed on the Nexus I could forgo on that particular 'demand'."

Finally, concluding that his earlier thoughts didn't matter that much, because no matter how many reasons he could come up with how it wouldn't work between him and the Pathfinder, there was only one reason that stood way above all others; the Pathfinder hasn't shown any indication that he likes him in the same way that he likes the Pathfinder. Kind of an important starting point and he didn't even have that.

Shaking himself loose from his depressed ramblings, he grabbed one of his data sticks and locked the devices away within his suit. He still had reports to review, notifications to send to several team leaders and finally contact the Pathfinder himself. But he was damned if he did that in HQ today. Enough was enough. No matter what protocol had to say on the matter. 

* * *

_Author's note:_  
Thanks for reading my first English written fanfiction dear Mass Effect fan!  
I've already planned out the story and I fully intend to turn this into the m/m romance MEA never had but should have had. It won't be long until Kandros will get a chance to make a lasting impression on his favorite human in the Andromeda Galaxy. So, any review and/or feedback is greatly appreciated! Ta ta! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**_Author's note_ :** Well, Kandros is about to escape from Operations. Unfortunately for him, he's not as good at hiding his feelings as he thought he was.

 **Chapter 2: All he needs is a little push**

As Kandros made his way towards the Operation's tram station, he walked past the main floor along the APEX public lobby. Quickly surveying the area, he could see most of the evening shift going along their business, collectively in a better mood than he was for sure.

After watching the soldiers and volunteers serving in his Militia for a while he managed to spot Sergeant Nels. He was the one leading all security activity on the Nexus tonight when Kandros was supposed to be off-duty.

He quickly made his way towards him, wanting to finish off his last item on the daily 'to do list' and truly be able to have some well-earned rest.

"Is everything set for the night shift on the Nexus, Sergeant?"

Sergeant Nels looked up from his pad and immediately started to drone on about current events on the station. If the sergeant was surprised to see his boss still working long past regular hours he didn't show any of it. Probably because this sure as hell wasn't the first time for his boss to approached him well into his own shift, inquiring about the current state of affairs on the Nexus.

"Yes, sir, at the moment there are no further reports of any protests occurring on the station, everything near the main Hydroponics bay is looking quiet. We have sent some extra guards to the third and sixth Hydroponic bays on the upper ward however to be sure though. Apparently there still were some signs earlier in the evening while you were in a meeting with the leadership; however, any signs of potential protests fortunately haven't seemed to have materialized."

Relieved that the evening seemed to have gone relatively smooth for a change, he was about to continue his journey. The sergeant however was making a curious looking face, indicating he wasn't done yet; "Also, Sergeant Aker wanted to speak with you, Sir. He's still waiting near the tram station. I tried telling him you were held up in a meeting but Aker insisted that he'd speak with you after you were done."

"Alright, sounds like a promisingly quiet night for a change, as usual, notify me when anything changes."

Now, had he forgotten something again? Despite everything Kandros was still sure his schedule had remained fairly structured. Feeling a little uneasy about maybe having forgotten an appointment with a colleague and one of the few aboard the Nexus he would consider a very good friend.  
Not wanting to let his unease seep through his composure he tried to ask about it as non-plussed as he could muster. "Nels, did he say what it was about?"

For a brief instant, Kandros could have sworn he'd seen a slightly mischievous glint in the human's very brown eyes upon hearing his question; "Yes he did, the Sergeant said something about you two, and I quote, 'going to blow off some steam together?'." Drawing out each word for added effect, Kandros was quite sure Aker told the Sergeant to convey his quote in that particular voice as well. His 'friend' had a habit of being irritating on principle once he discovered he could get a rise out of Kandros with little 'jokes' such as these.

"Sir, may I have permission to speak freely for a moment?"

Slightly annoyed by Aker's relayed response and feeling against his better judgment to acknowledge the request, he nevertheless signaled with a quick hand waving gesture that the sergeant could do so. The sergeant took the hint and quickly raised his own question.

"Is there something we all should know about, Sir? Because, if I may be so bold to make such an observation, you do seem to spend most of your free time together lately, Sir" Nels was outright smiling now, as if he caught his boss in an outrageous act.

The Sergeant even dared to continue: "We all knew you cared a lot about us Commander, what we didn't know is that you cared just a bit more about Aker. So much so that it gave him access to some personal quality treatment. Should we throw him..."  
Nels stopped talking as he could practically feel the intense stare of his boss being squarely aimed at him, he was sure the gaze would scare any wild adhi straight into domesticized submission.

"That's enough Sergeant. Just keep the Nexus safe tonight or I swear I'll kick you from one end to the other of this damn space station. He was at the tram station did you say?!" Kandros mandibles moved furiously as he said it.  
He didn't even bother to say a proper goodbye anymore, his mind dead set on a target that was not to be found in Operations Control. Aker successfully strikes again.

Sergeant Nels could only nod with some repressed laughter as he watched his boss leave. He knew he'd hit a nerve just as Aker instructed him he would. While slightly worried he might have gone too far, Aker had assured him he wasn't going to mind in the end.

Walking with a furious pace towards the tram station, it didn't take long for Kandros to spot Sergeant Aker in the distance. Even this far away he could already see his damned huge grin plastered all over that dark grey coloured Turian's face. He knew his little stunt had succeeded. The way Aker did this usually managed to annoy Kandros, only for Aker to eventually turn the tables on him and realize he needed the joke to unwind a bit. It was Aker's way of goading him into something and then Kandros grudgingly having to admit Aker was right about it all along, it had started to turn into a pattern he could not seem to escape from. Basically, it wouldn't be out of place to say the Turian Sergeant almost felt like one of his little annoying brothers to him. Kandros already started to heavily suspect this too was going to be one of those moments.

After all, as he and Aker gradually had gotten closer over these past months they had shared much about their lives back in the Milky Way, their reasons for leaving and what they hoped to build if the managed to find a home here in Heleus. Then again, it wasn't like there were a wide range of Turians to choose from, with most of the Turian population either still in stasis or being deployed across the Cluster at the moment. In the end it was Aker's little stunts that managed to keep Kandros sane for all these months, no matter how difficult Kandros himself was in agreeing to any attempts at R & R. Unfortunately that too seemed to work less than usual.

Being lost in thought yet again he didn't notice right away that Aker wasn't alone. At least not until he actually neared the platform. She at first appeared to be one of his subordinates...until he remembered her name, Sid Nyx, she actually was from Communications. He remembered her as being vital in exposing Allison's dealings with the Three Sabers mercenary group. Now that was a fun leadership meeting afterwards. But why would she be here as well? She seemed to be in an intense discussion with Aker. As he moved in closer he was still unable to hear what they were both saying, until they immediately stopped as they saw him approaching.

Aker quickly turned to him with a slight smile on his face. "I see the esteemed Director finally let you out of his sight. Did you manage to get his glorious approval?" Aker smirked, but without any bite behind the words. He definitely was playing his usual tactics of trying to help him out.  
Kandros wasn't willing to let go of his initial annoyance just yet though.

"What did you think _and_ hope for that matter, to achieve with that little stunt in Ops, Sergeant Aker?"

"Tiran it's not what you think it is this time."

Aker started to stare at him intently, not willing to resort to military protocol at this late hour when he was off duty, which combined with him seeing his Commander and friend so exhausted encouraged him to not budge on that decision. Kandros predictably didn't got that specific mental memo.  
"It's Commander" Kandros said with a rather tired look on his face. Obviously not being able to carry his normally rather intimidating presence by tone alone this time.

At that Aker pointed towards the hallway, all the way to a colored line and gateway differentiating the boundaries between the tram station and that of the Operations Center.  
"Actually, we've been off duty for hours now and you've officially left Operations. Either Tiran or Kandros will do just fine don't you think?"

Turning around to see that yes, he undeniably was off-duty and had indeed left the Operations Center behind him. He just kept staring at Aker for a little while longer, not wanting to give in to those inconvenient facts. The little stare contest was broken however when Sid decided to interject into the theatrics of both men.

"Commander Kandros..." Aker immediately broke his gaze with Kandros and looked perplexed at Sid's use of protocol.

"Not helping here Sid..."

Sid waved away his concerns, obviously not entertaining either men's theatrics for a verbal pissing contest. "Commander, we've been waiting for you because frankly we were a little worried. We heard about today's events and your...little outburst in Director Tann's office while Aker and I were on a very nice date and yes, before you ask, Aker truly was a gentleman the whole time..." At that Aker started to look genuinely flustered for a second "...he did however seem quite concerned about your well-being during virtually our entire conversation." This time it was Aker's time to look truly embarrassed.

Ah, I see, well thank you Miss Nyx for clarifying that but I can assure you I'm totally fine." Kandros told her with a rapidly growing smile. Now this was a turn of events he could work with. Feeling a bit better already he cast a quick gaze at Aker. He definitely still seemed to be mentally occupied with realizing Sid liking him very much and being embarrassed about obsessively worrying about Kandros's well-being.

Sid however didn't seem to buy his 'it's all good act' entirely however but she didn't have any more time to question it either. Her tram towards the Habitat Ring had arrived.

She quickly turned around and embraced Aker. Leaning in to her embrace they both shared a short kiss, Sid using one of her hands to slowly caress Aker right mandible, the end of each one of her talons barely touching the metallic skin. "Call me, tomorrow? And don't forget what we talked about! I'll in turn make sure the information is passed along appropriately."

Releasing him from her embrace, she gave Aker one final wink and rushed towards the tram. The doors closing just a few seconds after she'd got on it.

After Kandros both saw each other wave their goodbyes he turned his attention back to Aker.

"So, you went on a date with the whistleblower?"

Aker just stared in the direction her tram went.  
"Yeah, she is something isn't she?"

"She definitely is more straightforward and professional then you are my friend".  
Aker gave Kandros the Turian version of a vicious stink eye.

"Ow that's completely uncalled for, _Sir._ "

Kandros had to laugh at that. Feeling more refreshed then he had the entire day.

After that both friends talked for a bit about the events of the day and their take on all of what had transpired until the tram towards the upper ward arrived. As they boarded, Kandros suddenly realized they were just going towards their own homes on the Nexus instead of actually doing anything.  
"So where are we actually going? Is there actually something to do near the Habitat Sector which you haven't told me about?

Aker turned around and reacted with mock surprise which had to be one of his most badly acted performances yet.

"Cheering you up? Now? No, I'm just on my way towards home. I had a great first date you see and I just wanted Sid to meet my best friend. As for my home, it's in the Habitat Sector, you might know of it, my place is two floors down yours." Aker just continue to smile innocently.

Kandros for his part felt a little confused.  
"I thought you would try to convince me to get hammered at the Vortex, go to the shooting range or hells even do some melee combat practice with me."

Starting to grin again from mandible to mandible "Nope, on all accounts. I'm just going home."

Kandros was starting to feel his emotions boiling upwards from his chest again. Not understanding what game Aker was playing. "Then why did you wait for me until I was done with the Director?"

As if being stung, all visible laughter instantly left Aker's body and mind. The change so sudden that Kandros thought he'd said something awful. Aker however just heard the magic question he'd been waiting _and_ planning for. Watching his Commander intently, not wanting to miss a single thing, he gave his answer.

"Because we're going to have a talk about you and the Pathfinder."


End file.
